Alliance Blog

The Capitol was abuzz this week, with meetings on Memorial Day and a full convening in the Assembly chambers on Tuesday, to continue to find a way forward on the state budget given the looming June 15 deadline. Read on for updates about action taken on federal funds distribution, legislators’ response to proposed Career Technical Education cuts, and plans for the University of California, the California State University, and the California Community College systems’ approach to engaging students in learning this Fall.

Students, teachers, and administrators are preparing for year-end assessments. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, assessments have become even more top of mind for those in education. In Pasadena Unified School District, students are still able to demonstrate their knowledge and skills thanks to the district’s commitment to transitioning their senior defenses to virtual settings.

Across the country, schools, communities, and industry are coming together to dramatically redesign learning experiences in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. In Antelope Valley, the deep and enduring partnership between industry and education that has been the foundation of Linked Learning has also paved the way for an extraordinary community response that is continuing student hands-on learning while helping protect health care professionals at the frontlines of COVID-19.

Here we share updates on the May Revise analysis, California Department of Education’s webinar on safely reopening schools, and the University of California’s vote to drop the SAT/ACT for student admissions.

In this update, we’ve captured a number of key takeaways from the May Revise, along with some important updates from the May 2020 State Board of Education (SBE) meeting, including new insights about Federal Waivers, the California School Dashboard in general and the College and Career Indicator (CCI) in particular.

This week’s Sacramento policy news highlights the California Department of Education’s (CDE) guidance for districts as they navigate the uncharted waters of LCAP and budget processes during COVID-19, and the work of legislators as they focus their attention on the state budget and a small set of bills related to the COVID-19 crisis.

Join us Wednesday May 13 at 1pm PST for the 4th installment of Linked Learning Alliance Virtual Conversations: Master Scheduling for Equity. RSVP today for this interactive workshop!

State policy will continue to be critical as we all navigate the realities of COVID-19, and we’ll no doubt be tracking on California’s “May Revise” to the state budget once it’s available. We share news of a recommendation to waive administrative requirements for Perkins, competitive grants that State educational agencies may apply for, and Secretary DeVos’ response to inquiries about IDEA requirements. We also have one California-specific update on the CDE’s Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) FAQs.